Azamgarh, October 25, 2026: Uttar Pradesh election authorities have ordered disciplinary action against nine election personnel after an inquiry found 13 entries carrying the name “Vikas Yadav” in the electoral roll of the 347-Azamgarh Assembly constituency, with several records containing identical personal details despite belonging to different individuals.
The irregularity has prompted the Chief Electoral Officer’s office to remove five Booth Level Officers and a computer assistant from voter-roll duties, while proceedings have also been initiated against three supervisory officials.
Probe Found 13 Entries With Same Name
The inquiry found 13 entries under the name Vikas Yadav in the electoral roll of the Azamgarh Assembly constituency.
According to officials, the records contained identical or duplicated details such as the father’s name, age and address, which triggered concerns over the accuracy of the roll.
It Was Not One Person Voting 13 Times
Election authorities later clarified that the anomaly did not establish that a single voter had been enrolled 13 separate times.
Two of the entries had already been deleted, while the remaining 11 were found to correspond to 11 different people living in different villages.
Wrong Personal Details Entered in Records
Although the remaining entries related to different individuals, their names and other details had been incorrectly entered or duplicated during voter registration.
Authorities said corrections were initiated through Form 8 for 10 of those individuals so their actual names and personal information could be restored in the electoral roll.
SP Raised Issue Earlier This Month
The irregularities came under scrutiny after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the matter at a press conference on October 15.
The party initially alleged that the same voter’s name appeared multiple times in the constituency’s electoral roll.
CEO Orders Detailed Investigation
Following the allegation, the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa directed the Azamgarh District Election Officer to conduct a detailed inquiry.
The investigation subsequently identified the 13 entries and traced how the incorrect details were entered.
Five BLOs Removed From Electoral Duties
Five Booth Level Officers were held responsible for lapses in the preparation or verification of the electoral roll.
The officials identified in local reports include Geeta Devi-I, Geeta Devi-II, Sunita Devi, Sheela Devi and Umesh Kumar Yadav. They have been removed from voter-list related duties.
Computer Assistant Also Removed
Computer assistant Sanjay Kumar Prajapati was also removed from electoral-roll work.
Notices seeking termination of service have reportedly been issued against the BLOs and computer assistant following the inquiry.
Three Senior Officials Face Proceedings
Election authorities have also ordered action against the then Electoral Registration Officer and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.
The officials include the then Sadar SDM Narendra Gangwar, Dr Monica Agarwal and former Naib Tehsildar Madhavendra Pratap Singh.
Action Under Representation of the People Act
The CEO’s office has directed that proceedings be considered under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The provision deals with breaches of official duty connected with the preparation, revision and correction of electoral rolls.
Nine Officials in Total Face Action
In total, action has been ordered against nine personnel — five BLOs, one computer assistant and three supervisory election officials.
The Election Commission described the incident as a serious lapse in electoral-roll preparation and supervision.
Error Traced to Form 6 Processing
According to the investigation, the irregular entries emerged during the processing of Form 6 applications submitted in January 2026, following publication of the draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision process.
This indicates that the problem was linked to data entry or verification rather than evidence that one person deliberately registered 13 times.
Another Vikas Yadav Entry Found in Gorakhpur
The investigation also found another voter with the same name and father’s name registered in the Chauri-Chaura Assembly constituency of Gorakhpur.
Officials said that individual was separate from the 13 entries identified in Azamgarh.
All Azamgarh Constituencies to Be Checked
The District Election Officer has now been instructed to carry out a detailed inspection of electoral rolls across all 10 Assembly constituencies in Azamgarh district.
A report has been sought within one week.
Pilibhit Case Adds to Scrutiny
The Azamgarh incident comes shortly after another major voter-roll controversy in Pilibhit, where authorities ordered fresh scrutiny of thousands of correction entries.
Together, the two cases have increased attention on voter-list verification procedures in Uttar Pradesh.
Election Authorities Stress Corrective Action
Authorities have said that errors identified in Azamgarh are being corrected and that responsibility is being fixed on officials involved in preparing and supervising the rolls.
Further action could follow if the wider district-level verification reveals additional irregularities.
Accuracy of Electoral Rolls Under Focus
The episode highlights how mistakes in voter-registration data can create serious confusion even when multiple entries do not actually belong to the same person.
The Election Commission’s follow-up review will now determine whether the Azamgarh irregularities were isolated or part of broader data-verification failures.
Source: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Amar Ujala, PTI
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